Mice, sparkling gems and an award!

Yet again, I continue with my very poor blogging habits. I seem to remember blogging each week up until recently – how did I find the time!? I must be lacking in organization at the moment…

I thought about posting about the mice we have here on the farm. There is one in particular that consistently steals food out of the cat’s bowl. A fat, glossy little mouse he is ... and very careful to come out ONLY when the cats aren’t around. And when there is only one, a mouse can be pretty darn cute.

But some mouse stories aren’t so nice when they’re at, whilst not quite plague proportions, at least far too many of them. And the rats! Luckily we have bush rats, which I’ve found, at first hand, look just like massive mice. (And along with huge Bogong moths last month, I secretly started to wonder if something very strange was going on that was growing monster wildlife!)

So instead, I thought I’d stick to the jewellery front and what I’ve been up to.

I’ve been busy recently with a show and orders, but have also been sidetracked into my box of special gems. "The box" is getting so full that I decided I either needed a bigger box or had to create some jewellery to share these beauties around. Since shops are few and far between out here to find a larger box, I went with the latter choice and made some pieces with the sparklies!

Th pink amethyst, pink topaz and rock crystal quartz sterling silver necklace at the top of the post is one. Scrumptious, isn’t it? Rather springlike considering we’re in full winter here, but that’s the muse for you – she takes you where she will!

I made a wintry necklace too – with smoky quartz, petro tourmaline and vermeil. Rich and luxurious.



Then I got started on earrings ….

With everything from muted shades of pink and blue with rose quartz, pink topaz, pink tourmaline and iolite...



To rich red garnets and pink topaz reminding me of cool days and warm fires...



To colourful amethyst, peridot and blue topaz ...



And more ... like my favourites - these one made with swiss blue topaz, peridot, pink topaz, green topaz and apatite ...




See why I like my “special box”!? And, it’s a much nicer post than one about mice!

In other news, I was recently honoured to receive The Versatile Blogghttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifers Award from the wonderful Kelly of Vital Traditions all the way over in Washington State. I had the pleasure of being the roomie of Kelly at a conference a couple of years ago in Queensland, and she is honestly one of the very nicest people you could ever meet! Oh, and her all natural body products are THE BEST!



As part of receiving this award I need to pass this on and I've selected some of my daily reads for the award (check them out, you may find a new favourite!):

BushBelles
Gifts of Serendipity
Write Expressions
The Laurel Hedge
Cattle, Kids & Chaos

And, lastly before I sign off, I want to give a shout-out to Paula K and her new Smart Woman venture. Paula started the amazing and popular Connect2Mums site a couple of years ago and I've known her since those early days - she's a fantastic mentor and businesswoman, so if you're in small business (or thinking about it), pop over to her Facebook page and say hello!

Spring, Gardens and News from the Gem World

Wow, what a week its a been! We've had gale force winds, rain, snow (albeit 'sago' snow), icy winter temperatures as well as the expected sunny skies and pleasant temperatures that spring brings. Luckily we got through the wind, rain and snow BEFORE the open garden that I attended with my jewels on Sunday. It was still rather chilly though and the garden presented beautifully, even after the inclement weather. Everyone had a fabulous time and lots of money was raised for CanAssist.

On the downside of the spring weather though, all the girls in the house have succumbed to hayfever, so we really can't get out and about and enjoy it. The Coolah valley is renowned for its ability to give people who have never had it before, hayfever, so we've really got no choice in the matter! My next show (this weekend) is at the Riverlea garden at Mudgee that is open as part of the Australian Open Garden Scheme. I know Tamara will have a beautiful garden and if you're in the district, you'll find me in the courtyard, possibly sneezing!!! The lovely Julia of Bushbelles has some information on this garden and the other Mudgee garden (Mullamuddy Park) open this weekend in her post here.

I've been catching up on my gem news and there are so many fabulous things happening in the gemmie world at the moment!

If you're near New York, did you go to the Christie's Jewel Sale yesterday? Included in the auction was a Vanderbilt diamond necklace that sold for $626,500; a Mouboussin sautoir pendant that went for $1,106,500; a 17.86ct Harry Winston diamond ring that sold for $1,818,500; and a Bulgari vivid blue diamond ring that sold for a whopping $15,762,500, which was an absolute bargain as they had hoped to go as high as $50 million! See a short video on these jewels here or click here to see the whole catalogue on the Christie's site.

Christie's is also hosting a gemstone sale in Dubai on 27 October. This twice yearly auction is apparently a highlight of the Middle East's social calendar (and rightly so!). Included in this sale is a private collection of more than 40 parures (jewellery suites), the largest selection ever to be sold at auction. Highlights of this collection include a 26ct Kashmir sapphire ring, and two Ceylon sapphires of 180ct and 130ct. Another highlight of the sale is the second largest orange melo pearl to be offered at auction (only 9 of these have ever been auctioned). The melo pearl, named after the mollusc melo amphora, is found in the waters of the South China Sea. For the Emperors, who wore the Imperial colours of yellow and orange, a Melo pearl was highly prized and its image is often found on Imperial robes with the symbol of a dragon chasing an orange or melo pearl. Another rare gem on offer in the sale is the Paraiba tourmaline. First discovered in the Paraiba State of northern Brazil in the early 1980s, it has a unique turquoise green colour not found in any other gemstone. There will be a ring and a pair of earrings made with this gorgeous electric blue stone in the sale. Click here to see a slideshow of the sale pieces.

OK, enough drooling over all the Christie's goodies!

If you like historical jewels and artifacts and are in the UK, check out the "Buried Beneath the Beaney" exhibition at the Museum of Canterbury. The archaeology exhibition showcases nearly 2,000 years of history after Canterbury Archaeological Trust conducted a major dig in, of all places, the High Street! Highlights in the exhibition include a Roman gold bracelet and a Turkish carved gemstone. Wouldn't it have been a thrill finding these.

In other news, The Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB), touted as the world's largest diamond trading centre, opened at Bandra-Kurla complex in the Mumbai, India, yesterday (20 October).India is already a world leader in the export of cut and polished diamonds.

Tanzania has temporarily lifted the ban on exporting uncut tanzanite till next year to give their jewellery and lapidary sector time to establish themselves. I just love tanzanite - its a pretty purple-blue stone and there is a small one in the photo above (along with pink topaz and rock crystal quartz)... ok, they're not anywhere on the same page as the Christie's beauties, but hey, I've got to be realistic!

Whilst nothing at all to do with gems, I loved this post by Monique of My Cheeky Monkey on "Why doesn't an igloo melt inside?" - if you've got younger ones, check it out! And a shout out to the Business Mums Blog - a great resource if you're a small business.

OK, I must drag myself away from the computer (and the Christie's site... yes its still open!) and get to my bench.

Hope you're having a fantastic day!
Till next
Annette

Term break stresses, gem snippets and a pretty fluorite necklace

The children are driving me crazy. Can I sincerely request that the teachers cease their holidaying and open the school doors so I can get some peace and quiet? My children don't know the meaning of those words, it's all about noise, noise and more noise! I even had to shush them when we were walking down the street in town the other day. They were talking so loud it was almost as if they were yelling! Ah well, at least school is back next week, so I'll just continue stoically on (I wish!) in the meantime.

I attended the new Mudgee Upmarket at the Fairview Artspace last weekend. The weather was absolutely miserable with a heavy drizzle most of the day so the gallery owner brought us all inside - I was in the entry/coffee shop (yes it smelled of great coffee all day long!) along with a sculptor displaying her 'ladies'. The rest of the artisans were scattered throughout gallery rooms, wide hallways and verandahs. There was a steady stream of people that came regardless of the weather and lots of visitors from Sydney and interstate.

When I've not been the taxi service or peacemaker with the children this past week, I've been busy finishing orders, so there is not much new in the wild flights of fancy department a.k.a. my bench! But I have seen some fascinating gemstone trivia - well, trivia might even be too grand a word, lets just use 'snippets':

New York, the city that never sleeps, has introduced gemstone facials. One spa has a preference for amethyst - that pretty purple variety of quartz - which they use as a serum, eye cream and powder. They say it reduces skin inflammation and radiates infrared rays in order to stimulate healthy cell growth. The skin is supposed to be instantly firmer and brighter and all at a mere $275USD.

Another spa uses emeralds, rubies, sapphire, citrine, and gold. Emeralds are used to correct skin tone imperfections; rubies and gold are supposed to hydrate and smooth; citrine is supposed to plump lips; and sapphire is supposed to lift. The treatment supposedly leaves a shimmer on your skin and also runs at $275USD.

Yet another spa recommends their exfoliating paste of pearls - apparently to prevent dark spots on the skin by slowing down the growth of melanin. Compared to the others this treatment is a bargain at only $120USD!

So, okay, you don't want gems pulverised and put on your face (Wise woman. Much better to wear them!) But perhaps you might like to visit a house in Texas that reportedly has a turquoise kitchen sink!?

OK, enough with the truly reported, but rather silly state of gem news ;)

Today's photo is of a newish necklace (made a couple of weeks ago) and it gathered many lovely comments at Mudgee last weekend. Little fluorite cubes in green and purple shades and lots of sterling silver.

Till next :)
Annette

Gem Mineral Found on the Moon

Life has been hectic with children on holidays but relatively quiet on the jewellery scene - because of the children! We're still in the midst of a cold snap and the sunshine is watery at best. Good weather for reading a book near the fire!

To break up the monotony (hardly!) of the term break, I have a show on Sunday at the new Mudgee Upmarket, held quarterly at the Fairview Artspace. It will be my first outing there and I'm looking forward to it.

Even though I haven't had much time to play at my bench, I'm always on the lookout for new information on gemstones. And I was fascinated to read a report earlier this week that mentioned the mineral olivine - of which peridot (pictured above) is the gem member of the family - has been recently identified on the moon in a large impact basin. Amazingly, I went on to read, abundant quantities of olivine have been found on Mars and that olivine is also a constituent of comet dust. Olivine as well as peridot itself has been found in meteorites too!

I've never really thought of gems being found on other planets but if you let your imagination go, you can't but help consider the amazing and wonderful possibilities of new gems on new worlds! I'm imagining stunning colours, colour-change stones, incredible patterns... how about you!?

Earrings galore for the SAG awards

Last weekend saw yet another glittering affair with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. This event, at least for those of us peering at the jewellery, was a night of earrings. Small earrings, long earring, and even some HUGE earrings.

Very few necklaces made an appearance - instead, imitating them were bejewelled necklines instead. Although I must say that most of the ones I saw didn't come up to the sparkle and glamour that a statement necklace could have made. Ah well. It is the awards season, so I will keep my eyes peeled for the next event and may be rewarded ....

The children have finally gone back to school after their summer holiday and it is amazing how quiet the house can actually be! I can hear the birds trilling again - well I hear them in the mornings when its not too hot. I think they go and find a cool place to hang out during the heat as all I can hear then are cicadas! That loud buzzing sound really reminds me of my childhood summers.

The heat also makes me tired and that means I keep putting off getting back into the swing of work. Does it have that effect on you? Elena of EP Designs is taking matters into her own hands and is throwing herself back into work. She has a talent for recreating old treasures into new - I love the brass planter pot that she has made into a very attractive trinket bowl.

I have made some progress on my website and have been uploading information on gemstones. I now have information - facts, lore and some pictures - on agate, amazonite, amber, amethyst, andalusite, anyolite (aka ruby zoisite), apatite, aquamarine, avenunturine, azurite, beryl, carnelian, chalcedony, charoite, chrysocolla, chrysoprase, citrine, coral, diamond, dumorterite, emerald, fluorite, garnet, hawk's eye/ tiger's eye, hematite, hemimorphite, howlite, hypersthene and iolite. Phew. And I've got a lot still to go!

The picture for today was selected since 1) they're earrings and the SAG awards attendees (or their stylists!) seem to love earrings so much 2) they're able to make a statement all by themselves and 3) they're green. And you know how much I love green! Yes, I know, it's almost an addiction ;)

Because they're a longer style, these earrings would look great with a lower neckline or an off the shoulder/strapless design, particularly in black, white, cream to taupe, or most shades of green. The pearls have an incredible lustre and definitely aren't small so wouldn't get lost - even if you have your hair down.

Ciao till next time!

A little about Swarovski crystals

Another week has come around and I find myself, once again, asking what I did with the last week!? I know I have been reading alot. Even hubby has started to comment. I've really only read about 11 rather thick books since Christmas... I have trouble finding time to read the rest of the year so I've got to cram in as much now as I can before I go back to work properly :D

I'm still working on gemstones and getting their information typed up - I imagine it is not a job that is going to happen as quickly as I first imagined. So I'll just keep plugging away at it.

I was asked to be part of a Valentine's Day promotion this week. I don't work that often with Swarovski crystals since gemmies are my 'thing' and I generally prefer to work with natural stones, rather than manmade. But in celebration of the event I have made a small selection of Valentine inspired pieces with Swarovski and silver. You can see them all on my website under Valentine Selection. As you can see from the picture above, they are very pretty and very sparkly!

Swarovski is named after Daniel Swarovski, who invented the first crystal cutting machine in 1892 and founded his crystal business in Wattens, Austria in 1895. The popularity and quality of crystal continued to increase and Daniel's business also branched out into Swareflex (road safety products) and Swarovski Optics (precision optical instruments).

In league with Christian Dior, Swarovski created the famous aurora borealis finish for crystals in 1956. In 1976 Swarovski started making crystal decorative objects and shortly after chandelier components. They have continued, in the years since, to be a world leader of created crystals. Perfect for anyone who likes a bit of 'bling' to enjoy!

Holiday mode

Gee, where did last week go? I think I'm in full holiday mode and the days are just flying by. I know I've been reading alot over the last week or so - that will have to be my excuse! Plus the weather has been very hot here - too hot to do anything productive it seems!

My daughter also received a new kitten last week that we have spent a lot of time with. Very friendly and cuddly, he has been keeping us very entertained - named 'Slider' as that's what he does - he runs and then slides along the floor :)

The last day or so I have been working on typing up information on gemstones - facts, lore and legends, for my website. It's surprising how much your brain can recall when it has to (and slightly depressing how much it forgets at times)! Some people are amazed when I start sprouting facts about gemstones or at my ability to identify gems. I quite like the quote I found on Donna-Marie Coggins site : “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” Albert Einstein (1879-1955, Physicist). It is a pretty accurate statement for me - a lot of learning and re-reading and practicing giving a good knowledge base.

The picture above isn't of a new piece, but it's a perfect example to me of the wonder of stones - in this piece of jasper you can see its origins - a piece of the past for us to treasure now.

First impressions and more

The cold weather has continued and so last Saturday we had a bonfire. I know these are traditionally held in June, but we weren't that organised then! The kids had a wonderful time dancing around the fire - it was easy to see the primitive side of humans - the mesmerising heat and dancing flames, the joy at watching the flying sparks (and trying to catch them!).

First impressions are important, but not ALL. With the bonfire it was all about heat and light, but there is also danger. Of course, not everything that isn't first apparent is bad - sometimes what is hidden can be the best thing of all!

Take a look at this amazing quilt square posted on fellow Skwiggler Flory's blog. At first glance it is attractive, but then you find out how it was created and it just means so much more. It adds depth and layers that you can't quite 'see'. It was created as a round robin with many friends from all over the world completing a little before passing it on to the next. A little piece of friends and their creativity, as well as a long standing memory of a wonderful project.

I also read this story on The Modern Goddess recently. It certainly made me smile (if somewhat ruefully as I thought "ha!, that'll show him!"). Go on, read it - it's worthwhile!!

Here is a pic of a recent necklace. This is a pearl and gem torsade made with golden yellow and bronze coloured freshwater pearls, garnet and citrine.


I can promise nothing but good surprises with this necklace - it is even more goregeous in real life and feels divine on :)

Till next!

The wonders revealed by macro and micro photography

We have had some wet, wintry days the last week although today we have one of those brilliant blue skies that Australia is renowned for! With hardly a breath of air, the temperature is brisk it would be a beautiful day for flying. It definitely makes you want to get outside and DO things :) Of course, I could feel especially like that as I have been concentrating so hard on my computer screen working on my new website - I'll show it all to you soon, still some work to go!

I often encourage people to look closer at gemstones and to see the intricate colour play, patterns and so on. Consequently I'm pretty enamoured of macro and micro photography. Well this gallery on the Discover Magazine site, has me glued to the screen. I want to keep returning to look at the beautiful pictures. What are the pictures you ask? Is it worthwhile having a look? My word it is! Entitled, Each Grain of Sand is a Work of Art is intruiging enough by itself. They are photos taken by the book A Grain of Sand by Dr. Gary Greenberg. With photographs typically 80x magnification and above you see a minature world of shells and coral, minerals and gemstones that you never knew existed and will make you look at sand in a completely different way. Bet you add the book to your wish list (it's added to mine!)

Cruising around looking at more pictures I also found this gorgeous pendant made by Tulips Treasure Box on Etsy. It reminds me of the sea, the sky and the stars.

Hmmm, MUST stop 'surfing'... for now anyway.

Well, what can I show you today? Given my penchant for closeups, I've selected a close up of a piece of ocean jasper - wouldn't it look amazing on even higher magnification - I wonder what secrets it would reveal?

Have a great day!

A foray into making rings

It's been a week of achievements and some moments I could have well done without! Well those bad moments were when I was suffering from a bad case of the flu - but I am almost better now and rather embarrassed at my lack of inner strength in the face of feeling unwell. And to think I tell my children to be 'brave'!

My son also dropped my camera *eeek*. I loved that camera and it took such lovely shots (after taking me two years to work out how). But I bought a new camera and since it is the same brand it's not so different to use *big sigh of relief*.

Feeling well again has also brought a buoyancy to my outlook, helped along by some great fellow bloggers at the Mom Bloggers Club. What a great group of upbeat, fun women! So you can add them to my list of networking sites from my last post!

Overall I feel very lucky to have fallen in with a such a variety of women in my endeavours to network effectively. I can learn something new, be inspired or just laugh along with them. I was reading the very inspirational Pink Heels blog today and came across this wonderful picture

now take a good close look... doesn't it just makes you giggle? I wonder what men think of it? It MUST have been designed by a woman :D

As far as achievement goes - well I finally made the foray into making some simple little rings. Clients have been asking me for well over a year to make some rings but I haven't had the time to practice and despaired of ever being good enough to confidently sell them. I did briefly entertain the thought of making traditionally styled rings but I eventually decided on a more 'fun' type of ring - something casual yet refined, sturdy but not heavy and a bit different to the average type you find. The one's I have made so far are all made with Argentinium sterling silver and pearls/gemstones. I have shown them to a couple of clients this week with great feedback, so will have to spend some more time making some in a variety of sizes. Do you like the couple you can see here (below and at the top of the page)?



Show Reminder: Charity event at Dunedoo - chicken and champagne lunch in support of the World Youth Day - St. Michaels School Hall, Dunedoo, this Sunday 15th June. I'll be there with my jewels, along with local exhibitors of shoes and clothing.

Till next - have a great day!

Necklaces are back!

Wasn't it great to see the Oscars recently - I love watching the guests sashay up the red carpet. And thankfully, some of the world's most stylish actresses have realised (after many years of bare necks) that necklaces can be a great accessory and even a feature! I noticed Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Laura Linney, Jennifer Garner and Keri Russell had all donned a necklace. There were still ladies hanging onto the bold bracelets but the tide is turning!

I also saw this last week and jotted it down, although I can't find WHERE I found it apart from a notation that it was New York, so apologies to the author...
"In a sea of delicate barely there chains and charms, the dramatic singular statement necklace makes a comeback this spring."
So, all looking good from my end, since statement necklaces is often where I'm at!!! :)

Speaking of fashion and glamorous evenings, I found this gorgeous looking product called Diamond Dust on one of my fav sites Beauty Banquet. Think a sweeping long black dress with halterneck and slightly plunging front and shimmery shoulders.... yum!

To go with that image, how about the necklace I have pictured above? This is amazing matte black onyx in various petal shapes, dotted with little gems of peridot, garnet, amethyst and citrine, looking like tiny fruits nestled amongst the foliage. As the front of the necklace is so dramatic it is connected to a sparkling silver chain which would make it perfect to wear with a dress whose neckline is close fitting around the sides/back.

Well, I'm ready for a night out, how about you?

Australian Summer and Amethyst

We've just been to Sydney and its a long, tiring drive. We made the journey to see my dad while he was there as he lives on the north coast of NSW which is even more of a drive!

We left very early in the morning, just before there was light in the sky and the children thought it a great adventure to see the sky gradually lighten and change colour. By the time we made it to the Blue Mountains, the sun was high in the sky and blazing down from a bright blue sky.

Driving along, with chattering children in the back, and engine noise from both our and others cars, the cicadas in the bush were still loud and a definite reminder of the Australian bush. My husband and I spoke about how that sound reminded us of summer in Australia - hot days in the bush and that constant buzz of cicadas. I just saw this post on the Rainbow Designs blog, and it is so true! We certainly are fortunate to be able to be so close to nature in this big country. Remember my holiday post and the kangaroos in the front yard! ;)

The response to free worldwide shipping has been great and I am so glad I can now more easily share my jewellery, in reality, with the rest of the world. Its a great feeling and makes the additional cost to me very worthwhile!

Today's picture is a very stately, classic necklace. Made with big faceted lilac coloured amethyst and set off with natural lilac freshwater pearls and tiny little Karen Hill Tribe silver faceted balls. Although you can't see it, the silver clasp is in the shape of an adorable ribbon bow. Very feminine!

Amethyst is a beautiful stone and comes in every shade of purple from lilac through to the deep purple favoured by royalty (they're featured in the British Crown Jewels). It is the stone of the Buddha and Catholic Bishops wear rings of amethyst. Some tribal shamans used amethysts as a talisman and object of power. Egyptian solders wore amethyst into battle to retain their courage and the Romans made goblets of amethyst as it was believed to protect against drunkenness.

The Romans had a wonderful myth for explaining the occurrence of this lovely rock. The god Bacchus had been insulted by a mortal and furious, swore that the next mortal that crossed his path would suffer his wrath. A young maiden called Amethysta, who was affiliated with the Goddess Diana was the next mortal he saw and in his anger killed her. Diana took pity on Amethysta and changed her into crystal. Bacchus soon repented his act and wept on the crystal, whereupon his tears turned the crystal purple.

Metaphysically, amethyst is still considered a powerful and protective stone. Among its many attributes are: a natural tranquiliser, helping you feel more focused and in control; enhances acceptance of new ideas; dispels anger and fear; alleviates sadness and grief; opens intuition and enhances psychic gifts; brings intuitive dreams when slept with; tunes metabolism; cleanses the blood and eliminating organs; heals bruises and swellings, poor hearing and skin conditiouns; treats insomnia and brings restful sleep.

Gemstones - I want MORE!

I'm slowly getting back in the groove from Lovedale. It always takes me a few days to catch up - to unpack everything, to remember where I was up to (and to catch up on the housework!) and to finish of orders from the show. Its so easy to sit back, sigh and just do nothing (*guilt guilt guilt* lol).

My stock has dwindled considerably over the shows held in the last couple of months. I need to get in and make some more pieces in readiness for Christmas showings. And although I have quite a stash of stones to still make up, I have the 'need' to buy some new ones!! After all, thats why I do all of this - so I can get my hands on more pretties ;).

I was looking at the Modern Goddess blog and saw this brilliant article about Kunzite. I really want some now but have to find some pieces that call out and grab me. In the meantime I have a blue thing going and seem to buying all things blue.

The pic for today is a delicate little bracelet of boulder opal and freshwater pearls linked together with 12ct gold fill. Pretty, isn't it? The opal is hard to photograph nicely so that the colour is visible but there are gorgeous flashes of red, yellow, blue and green shining through the ironstone.

Enjoyment in what you do and a favourite bracelet

I am just soooo in love with this bracelet - I'm showing it off to everyone at the moment! In a way, this bracelet defines the enjoyment I get from designing and making jewellery, although it took reading http://rainbowdesigns.com.au/blog/?p=109 to make this connection ;)

I love how I can put stones and or pearls together and it works - the result of the whole is even better than the individual pieces that went into it. Yes, the lime green pearls are beautiful, and so is the amethyst, the aquamarine and the other pearls - in lavender, purple and grass green - but put them altogether and WOW - it really 'pops'!

The happiness I get from the design and creation process is why I keep doing what I do, and my passion (and we ALL need to have a passion in some aspect of our lives) is what makes my jewellery appealing to others - people want to have a piece that is not only attractive to them but because it has a tiny piece of my passion in it - they remember my eagerness and happiness when talking about it to them.

I think myself fortunate to be able to do what I love as a 'job'. It makes the not so nice work that is involved quite bearable.

What is your passion?

Nerves, challenges and a flower necklace

I'm off to Nyngan tomorrow for my first spring showing and I'm running around like a 'headless chook' as my Dad says. At least I now have a huge pile of boxes/bags to put into the car, so I am almost there. But I'm a bit worried about the drive - getting there on time and safely and a little nervous about the show itself! I have so much new stock that I have never displayed before, so the whole display will be different and new and take some 'tweaking'. A couple of shows in, I'll know exactly what has to to go where and I will feel like an old hand at it again!

I've been reading more blogs (yes I know - I should be working *guilt* LOL) but I loved this post on The Tall Poppy blogsite http://thetallpoppy.blogspot.com/2007/08/reach-for-sky.html. It initially got my attention with the picture and story of a cow (since I'm surrounded by them on a daily basis, they're a bit hard to ignore ;) ) Anyway, is a brilliant, uplifting story and does indeed make you wonder what is possible if you put your mind to it!

Keeping that idea in mind, the piece pictured above is one that took a lot of courage/commitment to make. I have made a couple of the gem 'flowers' before but they're difficult for someone who doesn't do a lot with wire wrapping and in the past very sore fingers from manipulating the wire has been the side effect! Nevertheless, I had this picture in my mind of a feminine choker or necklace made of flowers and I think it worked really well. It took well over a day to make it plus time to refine the design. And yes I did get sore fingers and a few broken nails too. But it just went to show that 'doubting' part of me that I can succeed if I try!

The necklace is made of many feet of sterling silver wire, the flowers are made of amethyst (purple), rose quartz (pale pink) or rock crystal quartz (clear), the centres are citrine (pale yellow) and the ends are peridot (green) representing the foliage. It is ended with an extension chain so that it can either be worn as a choker done up fully or as a necklace utilising the extension chain.

Do you like it?